A European Commission report, published on 13 February 2012, has revealed that more than 1 million people across the EU were employed in the renewable energy industry in 2010 – a 25% increase on the 2009 figure. In total, 1,144,000 people across 27 countries worked in the sector in 2010, compared to 912,220 in 2009. The solid biomass sector is the largest overall employer with more than 273,000 jobs.

William Gillett, head of the Renewable Energy unit within the European Commission’s Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation, commented on the report’s findings: ‘2010 was momentous in the evolution of the renewable energy market in Europe, measures were adopted by Member States to implement the Renewable Energy Directive and the first results can now be seen, despite the difficult economic climate...Renewable energy in the EU has show a growth of +11.3% between 2009 and 2010.’

In the UK, 31,700 people were employed in the renewable energy industry in 2010. Wind power is our top green employer, providing 9,200 jobs, followed by 6,000 in biogas, 5,300 in biofuels and 5,000 in solar photovoltaic (PV).  Geothermal energy is our least developed renewables industry, providing just 50 UK jobs in 2010, although this does not include ground source heat pumps. Recent growth in the UK’s wind energy sector means we have now taken Italy’s place as Europe’s third largest wind energy generator, behind Germany and France.

Wilding says: ‘Europe’s green economy certainly seems to be booming, with turnover in 2010 topping €125 billion – a 15% increase on 2009. The 1 million employment mark is a major milestone, further confirming the status of the renewable energy industry as a major employer and contributor to the economy, both now and in the future.’

Source:ClickGreen